In 1883, possibly the loudest sound ever heard, detonated in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra, Indonesia. The source of this explosion? A volcano that has gone down in infamy. Over 36,000 lives were lost in the ensuing pyroclastic flows and tsunami, and is the second deadliest volcanic eruption in recorded history. This is Infamous Geography. This is Krakatoa.
In this video, I look at the causes of the 1883 Krakatoa eruption, the subduction of the Indo-Australian plate under the Sunda Plate, as part of the Pacific Ring of Fire that has led to Indonesia having the largest number of active volcanoes of any country. I look in detail at the colossal 1883 eruption, the sounds that it made that put it into the record books, and the killer pyroclastic flows and tsunami that led to so many lives lost.
I then look at Krakatoa in the context of other historical eruptions and as measured by the Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI). Mount Tambora and Mount Toba, also in the same region are notable examples of other massive volcanic eruptions in recorded and geological history.
Lastly, I look at how the numerous volcanoes on Java have led to this island being the most populated on Earth, and end with a glimpse at what might lie in Krakatoa’s future.
